Startouched Mage

Chapter 5

They run towards the source of the sound and find Nyx with Zym in hand and... doubled over in boisterous laughter. "Bloody things, ge-e-et off of meeeee!" Zym doesn't make her attempted text any easier, wiggling around and letting off electrical zaps regularly, and he even bites down on her wing. "Ah, that hurts!"

He manages to get free and runs across the black sand to Rayla and Callum, two little fur balls hitching a ride. Callum raises a hand. "Great work guys!" Twinkle and Burnie headbutt his palm in an approximation of a high five.

Nyx cradles her shoulder with a hiss. "Blighter burned my feathers." She looks up at the assorted group of magical beings glaring at her with a sheepish smile. "So... no hard feelings?"

"I don't think this is necessary!" The crew had mounted the ambler again, with Nyx bound by a rope and left dangling over the side of the ambler.
Rayla looks over the edge at her. "Those were the terms. You cut our travel time in half, or we feed you to the Soulfangs. Oh, but don't worry, you were going to kidnap a baby for ransom, I doubt you have a soul for them to eat."

The Skywing elf rolls her eyes. "Alright, fine. You've made your point. But why do I have to be dangling over here?"
Rayla shrugs. "In case you try to escape. If you get loose," she uses her fingertip to represent Nyx, making a whistling sound while she moves her finger down and makes a splat sound when it touches the edge of the amblers giant saddle.
"You're having fun with this aren't you?"
Rayla leans on the edge and lets her chin rest in her hands with a smug grin. "You have no idea."

When they finally reach the edge of the desert, Nyx provides her usual commentary. "Dragon's lair is only a days travel away. Called the Storm Spire. Big mountain-y tower thing, pierces the clouds, can't miss it. Can someone get me down from here now, please?"

Rayla scoffs. "Fine, if that's what you want."
When Rayla brings out a blade, Nyx's eyes widen. "Wait!" Rayla doesn't listen and simply cuts the rope, letting the conwoman fall, but she's caught by the ambler's tail and deposited on the ground in front of Callum.
"All things considered, I think you got off easy. Most Moonshadow elves are pretty harsh." Zym huffs in agreement.

Nyx gets up from the ground while Rayla gets down from the ambler. "Duly noted. Listen, uh, thanks again for not, you know, executing me for conning you, betraying you, stealing your dragon and leaving you stranded in the desert." She laughs nervously before extending a hand. "No tip?"
Callum steps forward. "I have a tip." He grabs her hand and pulls her close, his stars flaring up in her face. "If you ever pull anything like that again with anyone, I will personally tell Queen Zubeia what you did, and you can consider your life over. How's that for a "tip"?"

Nyx nods fervently. "Sounds great, sounds... good?" She looks down at where Callum grabbed her. "Do you have five fingers?"
Callum pulls away as if burned. "Yeah. Born that way."
Realizing she might have offended the one threatening her, Nyx does her best to backtrack. "And that's... great, five fingers is good. Really good for," her eyes dart to Rayla's waist "grabbing things." Rayla splutters half hearted denials. "I'm-I'm just gonna go." She stumbles into the ambler's tail and gets lifted up, the giant creatures moving back into the Midnight Desert. "Bye!"

Most of the days trip was spent complaining about Nyx, many of the comments being more than deserved, and even Zym, Twinkle and Burnie gave their two copper to the conversation. Even if no one understood them, the sentiment was appreciated. But soon they came across the petrified corpse of the Dragon King.

"Is it... a statue?" Callum was more of a pencils and paintings kind of guy, so he doesn't get the symbolism behind the more abstract type statues.
"No, it's not a statue."
Callum looks up at the arm reaching for the Storm Spire. For Zym. "Oh." Zym whimpers and Callum hugs him. "Easy, it's ok. We're here with you."

They hear a screeching sound and look up. "That sounds like..."
Callum finishes the thought as the moon Phoenix appears. "Phoe-Phoe?" The blue bird lands and bends down to reveal her passengers. "Ez? Ezran!"

The three of them run towards their friend/half-brother as he dismounts the Phoenix, and they all group hug. Phoe-Phoe unfortunately doesn't share in the celebration and collapses, Ezran turning towards her, concerned. "Phoe-Phoe?" He rests his ear against her body. "She flew all the way here. She's so tired, but she wouldn't let me stop her." He pats her wing. "You did good Phoe-Phoe. We made it." Soon after that, her eyes close and her breathing stops.

Callum watches his brother grieve the fallen bird at the foot of the dead dragon king. So many people getting hurt when they didn't need to. Callum bush Ezran as he cries, and Phoe-Phoe's body begins to glow bright blue before brushing into flames of the same color, the energy condensing into a single feather. Callum watches as the feather frosts into Ezran's hands and he grabs the magic cube and the moon sign glows bright. "Of course! She's a moon Phoenix! She'll be reborn! Magic is so cool!"